Partnerships
Alberta Library Systems
Peace Library System is part of a province-wide network of seven regional and two urban systems. The seven regional systems were created by legal agreements between cooperating municipalities. The intent is to enhance local library services and to cooperate and assist in resource sharing among all libraries in Alberta.
Regional Partners:
Chinook Arch Regional Library System, Lethbridge, AB.
Marigold Library System, Strathmore, AB.
Northern Lights Library System, Elk Point, AB.
Parkland Regional Library System, Lacombe, AB.
Shortgrass Library System, Medicine Hat, AB.
Yellowhead Regional Library, Spruce Grove, AB.
TRAC (The Regional Automation Consortium) is a partnership of Marigold Library System, Northern Lights Library System, Peace Library System, Yellowhead Regional Library, and their member libraries. Using TRACpac you can search a combined catalogue of over 170 libraries with holdings of nearly three million books, DVDs and other material.
TRAC also participates in Alberta-wide borrowing through ME Libraries. Patrons registered through ME Libraries may borrow materials from any TRAC library, subject to local policies and lending periods.
All TRAC database patron information is stored on servers located in Canada. The information cannot be accessed by law enforcement without a warrant. Your reading history will not be collected unless you activate the Maintain Reading History setting in the Preferences section of your My Account section in TRACpac or at your request to local library staff.
The libraries within TRAC wish to acknowledge Treaty 6, Treaty 7, and Treaty 8 territory, as well as the Métis Nation of Alberta. The TRAC libraries are located on territory that provided a travelling route and home to many Indigenous peoples.
View TRAC Operational Guidelines.
Member libraries can access the TRAC library catalogue (TRACpac) by visiting www.tracpac.ab.ca or by downloading the TRACpac app.
In the 1990s libraries across Alberta faced a number of challenges and opportunities, including the information explosion, the development of new technologies, the emergence of the Internet and a changing government philosophy.
A grassroots response to these challenges led to the creation of The Alberta Library (TAL) in 1997. Internationally recognized for cooperation and collaboration, TAL is a province-wide consortium that now serves 48 member libraries in over 300 locations across the province, including:
- public libraries
- regional library systems
- university libraries
- college, and technical institute libraries
- special libraries
Member libraries work together to take advantage of changing technologies, find creative solutions and seize new opportunities. As a result, Albertans at even the smallest library have access to more than 30 million resources.
The Public Libraries Services Branch (PLSB) informs and enforces library related legislation, including the Libraries Act, Libraries Regulation, provincial network policies, plans of service and annual reports. The PLSB also provides some operating grant funds to the library board, manages the Alberta Public Library Directory and provides consultative support to libraries and library boards.
The Alberta Library Trustees Association (ALTA) is the collective voice for public library trustees across Alberta.
ALTA empowers trustees to become strong leaders in their library communities and strives to ensure that all library trustees have access to the information, resources, communication, advocacy and training they need to be effective and strong leaders within their library communities.
ALTA was founded in 1971, and represents the library boards and trustees that govern public libraries in Alberta. They serve over 2400 volunteer library trustees across Alberta who provide governance to over 165 library boards across the province.
The Library Association of Alberta (LAA) was established in 1930. It is a nonprofit, independent, voluntary association. Its members include librarians, library personnel, library trustees, institutions, and other interested individuals and companies.